CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 098212220, filed on Jul. 6, 2009.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an eyeglass temple, more particularly to an eyeglass temple having an adjustable length. The present invention also relates to eyeglasses including the eyeglass temple which is mounted to an end piece of a frame front thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional eyeglass frame uses an eyeglass temple having a fixed length. The eyeglass temple is mounted to an end piece of a frame front of the conventional eyeglass frame. However, the distance between the nose and any ear of each user may be different, such that if the length of each eyeglass temple is not appropriate for a particular wearer, the resulting pair of eyeglasses may be uncomfortable.
Accordingly, eyeglass temples having adjustable lengths have been proposed. However, these eyeglass temples have exposed adjusting holes, which not only negatively affects the aesthetics of eyeglasses, but also, the wearer's hair may get caught in such exposed adjusting holes. Therefore, in order to overcome such drawbacks, there is a need for a new eyeglass temple structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an eyeglass temple and eyeglasses including the eyeglass temple, in which the eyeglass temple can be adjusted in length, is aesthetically pleasing, and does not pose safety risks to the wearer during adjustment thereof.
According to one aspect, the eyeglass temple of the present invention comprises a temple body, an insert, and a fixing component.
The temple body has a groove-forming portion, and a branch portion connected to a rear portion of the groove-forming portion. The groove-forming portion has a sleeving wall defining a sleeving space extending in a lengthwise direction of the temple body. The sleeving wall has a hole communicating with the sleeving space.
The insert has an arm portion inserted into the sleeving space and movable back and forth therein, and a hinge portion connected to a front portion of the arm portion. The arm portion has an adjusting hole, which is disposed fully in the sleeving space when the eyeglass temple is adjusted. The adjusting hole has at least two positioning hole portions spaced apart from each other in a lengthwise direction of the arm portion, and a reduced hole portion disposed between and interconnecting the positioning hole portions.
The fixing component includes a pillar extending through the hole of the sleeving wall and positioned in one of the positioning hole portions of the adjusting hole. The pillar is moveable through the reduced hole portion of the adjusting hole so as to be disposed in the other one of the positioning hole portions.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the eyeglasses comprise a frame front and a pair of eyeglass temples. The frame front includes a pair of end pieces. Each of the eyeglass temples includes a temple body, an insert, and a fixing component.
The temple body has a groove-forming portion, and a branch portion connected to a rear portion of the groove-forming portion. The groove-forming portion has a sleeving wall defining a sleeving space extending in a lengthwise direction of the temple body. The sleeving wall has a hole communicating with the sleeving space.
The insert has an arm portion inserted into the sleeving space and movable back and forth therein, and a hinge portion connected to a front portion of the arm portion and connected to a respective one of the end pieces of the frame front. The arm portion has an adjusting hole, which is disposed fully in the sleeving space when the eyeglass temple is adjusted. The adjusting hole has at least two positioning hole portions spaced apart from each other in a lengthwise direction of the arm portion, and a reduced hole portion disposed between and interconnecting the positioning hole portions.
The fixing component includes a pillar extending through the hole of the sleeving wall and positioned in one of the positioning hole portions of the adjusting hole. The pillar is moveable through the reduced hole portion of the adjusting hole so as to be disposed in the other one of the positioning hole portions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an eyeglass temple according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of eyeglasses according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an exploded fragmentary sectional view of the eyeglass temple of the preferred embodiment; and
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the eyeglass temple of the preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to
FIG. 2, eyeglasses according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a
frame front 11 including a pair of
end pieces 111, a pair of
eyeglass temples 5, and a
lens unit 1 including two
lenses 12.
Referring to
FIGS. 1,
2, and
3, a preferred embodiment of the
eyeglass temple 5 according to the present invention is shown to comprise a
temple body 2, an
insert 3, and a
fixing component 4.
The
temple body 2 has a groove-forming
portion 21, and a
branch portion 22 connected to a rear portion of the groove-forming
portion 21. The groove-forming
portion 21 has a
sleeving wall 212 that defines a
sleeving space 211 extending in a lengthwise direction of the
temple body 2. The
sleeving wall 212 has a
hole 216 communicating with the
sleeving space 211. The
sleeving wall 212 of the groove-forming
portion 21 of the
temple body 2 has an
outer wall 213 formed with the
hole 216, an
inner wall 214 opposing and spaced apart from the
outer wall 213, and two
side walls 215, each interconnecting the
outer wall 213 and the
inner wall 214. The
outer wall 213 has an
elliptic indentation 217 communicating with the
hole 216. The
branch portion 22 further has a
hanger portion 221 which is placed around the ear of a wearer.
The
insert 3 has an
arm portion 31 inserted into the
sleeving space 211 and movable back and forth therein, and a
hinge portion 32 connected to a front portion of the
arm portion 31 and pivotally connected to a respective one of the
end pieces 111 of the
frame front 11 using, for example, a screw. The
arm portion 31 has an
outer wall surface 311, an
inner wall surface 312 opposite the
outer wall surface 311 and formed with a
depression 314, and an adjusting
hole 313 extending through the
outer wall surface 311 and the
inner wall surface 312. The
depression 314 is defined by a
lateral wall 318, and a
bottom wall 315 surrounding a periphery of the adjusting
hole 313, and communicating with the adjusting
hole 313. The adjusting
hole 313 has at least two
positioning hole portions 316 spaced apart from each other in a lengthwise direction of the
arm portion 31, and at least one reduced
hole portion 317 disposed between the
positioning hole portions 316. In this embodiment, the adjusting
hole 313 has first, second, and third
positioning hole portions 316, a first reduced
hole portion 317 disposed between the first and second
positioning hole portions 316, and a second reduced
hole portion 317 disposed between the second and third
positioning hole portions 316.
The
fixing component 4 includes a
pillar 42 and a
positioning plate 41 on which the
pillar 42 is disposed and which is received at least partially within the
indentation 217 of the
outer wall 213 of the
temple body 2. The
pillar 42 extends through the
hole 216 of the
sleeving wall 212 and is positioned in one of the
positioning hole portions 316 of the adjusting
hole 313. The
pillar 42 is moveable through said at least one of the reduced
hole portions 317 of the adjusting
hole 313 so as to be disposed in another one of the
positioning hole portions 316.
The
pillar 42 of the
fixing component 4 has a
pillar body 421, an
engaging portion 422, and a
groove 423. The
pillar body 421 is formed on the
positioning plate 41 and is disposed in the adjusting
hole 313. The
engaging portion 422 is formed on a rear portion of the
pillar body 421 and is disposed in the
depression 314. The
groove 423 extends through the
pillar body 421 and the
engaging portion 422, such that the
pillar 42 can be reduced in size while being moved through said at least one of the reduced
hole portions 317, and can undergo elastic restoration when disposed in one of the
positioning hole portions 316. The
engaging portion 422 has an
engaging edge 424 adjacent to the
pillar body 421, and the
engaging edge 424 abuts against the
bottom wall 315 of the
depression 314. Also, a diameter of the
pillar body 421 of the
pillar 42 is greater than a height of the reduced
hole portion 317 of the adjusting
hole 313, and may substantially correspond to a height of each of the
positioning hole portions 316 of the adjusting
hole 313.
Assembly of the eyeglass assembly will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 1,
3, and
4. First, the
arm portion 31 of the
insert 3 is inserted into the
sleeving space 211 of the
temple body 2. Then, one of the
positioning hole portions 316 of the
insert 3 is placed opposing the
hole 216 of the
temple body 2, after which the
pillar 42 of the
fixing component 4 is inserted into the
hole 216 of the
temple body 2 and said one of the
positioning hole portions 316. When the
engaging edge 424 of the
pillar 42 extends through the
bottom wall 315 of the
insert 3, the
pillar 42 restores elastically and the
engaging edge 424 of the
pillar 42 abuts against the
bottom wall 315 of the
insert 3, thereby finishing assembly.
Referring to
FIGS. 1,
3, and
4, to adjust the
eyeglass temple 5, the
insert 3 is held, and then the
temple body 2 is pulled forwardly or backwardly relative to the
insert 3, such that the fixing
component 4 is placed in a different one of the
positioning hole portions 316. The length of the
eyeglass temple 5 increases when the fixing
component 4 is moved to a rearwardly placed
positioning hole portion 316, whereas the length of the
eyeglass temple 5 decreases when the fixing
component 4 is moved to a frontwardly placed
positioning hole portion 316.
In some embodiments, the
elliptic indentation 217 and the
hole 216 of the
sleeving wall 212 are formed respectively on and in the
inner wall 214 of the
sleeving wall 212.
It is noted that the adjusting
hole 313 of the
arm portion 31 is disposed fully in the
sleeving space 211 when the
eyeglass temple 5 is adjusted. Hence, the adjusting
hole 313 is not exposed at any time, including even when the
temple body 2 is adjusted, so that hair is not caught therein. Therefore, the
eyeglass temple 5 of the present invention is safe and aesthetically pleasing while allowing for adjustments in the length thereof.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.